LN x MHA Crossover: Nightmarish Heroism. (1)

Chapter 15: Benevolent Deviant

Unknowingly to the boy, a towering shadow stealthily stands up from the dust and walks towards him. The Hunter steps with an ominous order as if something has taken over, leaving the husk to grab a shotgun from the ground without any sound for the boy to react. Slowly but surely, the barrels rise to the boy from behind. Finally, the Hunter proceeds to pull the trigger to the unsuspected prey.

Tic. Tac...

Everything seems to move in slow motion as Mono can see the Hunter's finger slowly pulling the trigger and signaling his demise.

BANG.

Suddenly, Eri jumps at Mono, making him fall back as the shotgun shells burst at where he used to kneel, destroying the floor, in which he would meet instead if the girl didn't act. The fall allows Mono to quickly notice the shotgun slowly pointing at him and Eri. The boy hastily rolls to the side with the girl before another loud bang reaches their ears, followed by wood splattering at the impact point right next to Mono's back.

That's when the Hunter reloads his shotgun, leaving time for Mono and Eri. The boy quickly gets the stunned girl to stand up, grabs her hands, and rushes to the wall he destroyed before. While running, he thought about the Hunter. That monster tanks his punch powered by his "Quirk," as the new world refers to, and looks unfazed while marching towards them slowly. Moreover, now he feels each step behind fills with the approaching of an unstoppable disaster and malicious intent.

Why would the Hunter's aura drastically change after his attack? Has he just made it worse for him?

Upon reaching the intersection after the mannequin room, Mono looks at the hallway heading to the basement and the kitchen.

That's when Eri gains consciousness and suddenly makes Mono's movement halt for a second before reaching the intersection. The boy quickly turns back to look and tries to grab the girl. However, as soon as he turns, the shotgun's barrels shine through the hole they go through. Mono instantly knows what's about to come and rushes his hands to Eri's.

*Click*

The dreadful sound of Hunter's shotgun fully loaded reaches Mono's ears as he glares back at what they run from. The shining gun shines and points right at helpless and still-gaining-consciousness Eri. The boy quickly drags the girl to the hallway, trying to evade the fragment bullets. However, despite his efforts, the loud bang returns with the shrapnel rushing toward them.

A sudden sharp pain makes Mono nearly lose balance. However, his survival instinct of running away from the Hunter is greater than kneeling down because of the wound. So, he marches on with the girl in his arms. That's when he notices something. Some other of the shrapnels, unfortunately, dig into Eri's arm before they can get out of the firing sight, making the girl let out a painful yelp as Mono proceeds to carry her down the hall. The girl holds her injured hand in pain, yet she never yells but seemingly gets used to it already, which the boy finds somewhat concerned but relieved that she doesn't make a fuss. However, she can't hide the slowly accelerating breath showing her condition, which urges him to run faster.

At the end of the hall, Mono looks at the basement and the door through the kitchen to the Wilderness, thinking what to do. The Wilderness will ensure their escape, but what will he do with their wound?

Taking a second pausing, Mono turns to the basement, where he remembers a bunder of silk and cloth lying there. That could help with the girl's situation. The boy quickly glares back to see if the Hunter is following him. Strangely, the stomping of the Hunter has stopped, replaced by loud and irritated mumbling and something being reorganized. Mono doesn't know why the Hunter stops chasing, yet he appreciates the time window for him to carry the girl through the door.